Two Frenchmen had attempted to make their way to the cave a week before; but the old 30-foot ladder of the previous year broke under the foremost of them, and he fell into the pit, whence he was drawn up by means of a cord composed of rack-ropes from the chalet, tied together.

However useful a string of cow-ties may be for rescuing a man from such a situation, A.and M.did not care to make use of that apparatus for a voluntary descent, so they were perforce contented with a distant view of the ice from the lower edge of the pit.] [Footnote 20: See the section of this cave and pit on page 41.] * * * * *.